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Marquis Teague reportedly heading to Brooklyn

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The most memorable part of Marquis Teague’s Bulls career could be Saturday when it apparently ended with a tentative agreement of a trade to the Brooklyn Nets for 6-9 forward Tornike Shengelia, who mostly has played in the D-League.

Teague, a quiet respectful young man who was the Bulls first round draft pick, No. 29 in the 2012 draft, patiently and cooperatively gave interviews before the game even though he was traded and because of bookkeeping matters in the league office will remain with the Bulls until Tuesday.

“I’m excited, ready to get a new start,” Teague said as he greeted several waves of reporters after working out on the court as if he would play.

“It was great,” Teague said about being with the Bulls. “I learned a lot, got to play with some great guys. I appreciate everything the Bulls did for me.”

He likely will not play because the teams have agreed to the trade, according to Yahoo Sports. The NBA offices are closed through the Monday Martin Luther King holiday. So no trades are being processed now.

The Nets sent Tyshawn Taylor to New Orleans in acquiring Teague. Taylor was most known for dumping the water on coach Jason Kidd at Kidd’s urging to get an extra timeout. Kidd was fined $100,000. The Nets get future considerations from the Pelicans. Teague last played for the Bulls on Christmas Day in Brooklyn, going scoreless with one shot in two minutes. He’s mostly been in Iowa in the D-League since. Taylor and Shengelia were second round picks, Shengelia originally by the 76ers.

The Bulls are believed to be doing the trade primarily to create more salary cap room for the summer. Shengelia will join the team after the trade and his future with the team will be judged on how he does.

“It should be fun,” Teague said brightly about the move, which cannot be announced yet. “I haven’t talked to Brooklyn yet, but Gar told me it was unofficial until Tuesday.”

Teague actually had his best moments with the Bulls in the Game 7 win in Brooklyn in the playoffs last spring with solid play in key moments off the bench. Teague then went to summer league and looked to have regained his confidence, averaging 18.3 points and 4.8 assists. But even with Derrick Rose being injured, Teague never worked his way into coach Tom Thibodeau’s rotation. He averaged 2.4 points and 1.5 assists playing in 19 games for the Bulls this season. He played in 48 games last season and a total of 392 minutes, averaging 2.1 points and 1.3 assists.

“I guess that helped me out in the long run,” Teague said about playing well against the Nets last spring. “I guess they liked me from that. It should be fun. I’m ready to get to work. That’s how my Dad taught me to be (upbeat and positive despite being traded and in effect rejected by his first team). He told me to stay the same, keep my confidence and never get too down or too high.

“It was great,” Teague said about being with the Bulls assuming the trade is finalized. “I learned a lot, got to play with some great guys. I appreciate everything the Bulls did for me. I’m just ready to get to my next situation. I think at times I played OK and other times I didn’t do as much as I should’ve. I wasn’t as aggressive as I know I should’ve been or can be. I’ll learn from that and grow from that.

“He (coach Thibodeau) helped me a lot, taught me how to be a true professional,” said Teague. “He taught me how to get in the gym and work hard. He taught me a lot of things before I got here so I appreciate him a lot for that.”

Thibodeau avoided questions about a trade.

“I think Marquis is a good young player,” Thibodeau said. “He’s had some good moments. He’s had some moments, obviously, he could do better. But that’s to be expected when you come into the league as young as he is. That’s what you are going to get. He’s further along today than when he was drafted. He did a good job overall. I thought he played well in the playoffs last year. I thought he had a very good summer league. He’s a good kid.”

Teague appears to be the classic example of the kid who comes out of college too soon. He was 19, but he helped lead Kentucky to the national championship. He didn’t come from a family with hardships and his brother is a top point guard for the Atlanta Hawks.

But he wasn’t ready for the NBA and fell to the bottom of the first round of the draft. It’s difficult to get a chance drafted low in the first round as it’s usually with a contending team.

Teague is exceptionally quick, but does not have much of a jump shot.

He worked hard, but he never could earn a regular place in the Bulls playing rotation even with all the injuries to Rose.

He tended to be hesitant, anxious to please, playing for the demanding Thibodeau and a team with expectations like the Bulls. He never really relaxed as a player other than in summer league, when he excelled. But that was not against NBA level talent.

If Teague had stayed in college an extra year or two, he likely would have been a top 10 pick going to a lesser team with a chance to excel and without so much pressure, scouts believed. But some kids’ dreams are to get to the NBA as fast as possible.

Now, Teague apparently will try with the Nets, another team with high expectations and a star point guard in Deron Williams.

Shengelia, 22 is from Georgia, formerly part of the Soviet Union.

He was drafted by the 76ers and traded to the Nets. He played in the summer league for the Nets, averaging 10.2 points and 3.6 rebounds. He has spent most of the season with the Springfield Armor. He was picked 54th overall in 2012.

About Sam Smith

Smith covered the Bulls and the NBA for the Chicago Tribune for 25 years. He is the author of the best selling The Jordan Rules, which was top ten on the New York Times Bestseller List for three months. He is also the author of Second Coming: The Strange Odyssey of Michael Jordan and co-author of the Total Basketball Encyclopedia. Smith served as president of the Professional Basketball Writers Association for four terms, a feat no one else has accomplished. He has also served on committees for the NBA and the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame. In 2012, Smith was honored by the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame with its Curt Gowdy Media Award.